Metal Powder Exceeding Safety Standards Detected in Some Health Powdered Foods

Consumer Agency, Survey Results on 40 Products

Product non-compliant with metallic foreign substance standards.

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Chun-han] Metallic foreign substances (metal shavings) exceeding safety standards were detected in some health powder foods distributed and sold on online shopping malls.

On the 10th, the Korea Consumer Agency announced that, as a result of a safety investigation on 40 health powder food products distributed and sold on online shopping malls, 12 products, accounting for 30%, contained metal shavings exceeding safety standards. The health powder foods investigated were products made by grinding and processing barley sprouts (12 products), Momordica charantia (8 products), turmeric (8 products), beet (6 products), and oat sprouts (6 products).

Among the problematic products, there were cases where metal shavings exceeding the safety standard (less than 10.0 mg/kg) by up to 22 times were detected. By item, 5 turmeric powder products, 3 Momordica charantia powder products, 2 oat sprout powder products, and 2 barley sprout powder products contained metal shavings exceeding safety standards. The sellers of these products stated they would suspend sales and take recall measures.

Additionally, among the 20 products investigated, test reports stating compliance with the metallic foreign substance safety standards were posted on the online sales pages, but 7 of these were found to be non-compliant with safety standards, making it difficult to trust the test reports. It was also confirmed that 6 products partially omitted required labeling information according to standards. According to the "Standards for Labeling of Foods, etc.," food products must indicate the product name, food type, expiration date, and other information.

The Consumer Agency recommended voluntary recalls of products exceeding metallic foreign substance standards and improvements in manufacturing processes and labeling, and plans to request the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety to strengthen safety and labeling management and supervision of health powder foods.

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